God has blessed me! After only 13 years I have drawn the coveted Oklahoma Wichita Wildlife Refuge bull elk tag. The notice was waiting for me when I arrived home from a two week trip to Africa.

Most Oklahomans put in for that tag a whole lifetime without drawing. I am afraid I will wake up and find out it was only a dream.

I had to give up my hunting lease this year and I was kind of depressed. Then I get to go to Africa and hunt elk in Oklahoma all in the same year; life is good.

Any words of wisdom from others who have been there and hunted bull elk?

Thank you Lord.

Congratulations! There has to be some big bulls there with the limited hunting!

Congrats for drawing the tag! I've been putting in for about 8 years now, so maybe my day will be coming in the next 10 years, or so.

Do a search for 'Oklahoma draw' within this forum and there will be an AR member who drew the tag a few years back, and is willing to give a few pointers about were to go, how far to walk in, etc.

Good luck and keep us all posted!!

Congrats again,

MJ,

Nevermind about doing the search. I went ahead and did it for you. Here is the link. Looks like if you buy lunch you might get some tips!

Mighty Joe

Congratulations!!

Tell "A" I said Hi.

All ya'll planning to come to DSC?

CONGRATS on being drawn. That is akin to winning the lottery. I've been putting in for a couple of specific hunts for about 18 years now and have yet to be drawn on those. But if and when I do, you can bet I'll be a happy camper.

You are no doubt going to have a memorable year.

Half the fun will be in the planning & preparation.

Good luck on both excursions, and don't forget to post photos upon your returns...

Mighty Joe,

Congrats on having an absolutely STELLAR year! Who gets to go to Africa AND draws the BIG one in the same year? Not bloody many I'd guess

Bag a HUGE 6x6 or better and (PLEASE) post pictures!

Congratulations and best of luck on the hunt.

Mighty Joe

Please post some pictures after your hunt. I've been putting in for that hunt for over 25 years.

You are blessed

Congratulations on being drawn, although I am zealous--I've been putting in for years. You give me renewed hope that it is indeed possible to be drawn. I was lucky enough to be drawn for the McAlester Army Amunition Depot whitetail archery hunt. I'm excited about that, but that is nothing compared to the elk hunt. Good luck.

You lucky B@$*@%d. I have been putting in for 22 years. Good luck and please post a full report.

Perry

Congrats!! That is a really tough draw and an awesome hunt!!!

Good Hunting!!!!

Bob

Congrats on the draw, there are some really nice bulls in that herd. If memory serves me right you will be attending at least one safety class and assigned a specific area to hunt. My brother put in an application because a guy he works with gave it to him and told him to give it a shot....drawn the first year and got his elk. I am now living in NC and its too far to run back for the safety class. Lived in Lawton for a short period and the refuge is one of my favorite places to visit. Good luck

Thanks for the grats. I looked up the stats for bull elk and in 2007 there were 11,453 applicants for the first week from all over the USA and there were only 14 permits. There were 11,199 applicants for the second week and there were only 14 permits.

Of the 28 permits issued, all hunters showed up and 27 harvested elk. I know that one guy held out for better one without success.

This year 20 bull permits were issued for each week, which tells me the bull count is higher.

Fortunately, I drew in the first week, so what ever area I am assigned to on the refuge, at least I am the first human to be in the area I am hunting for a year.

Many years ago I drew a deer tag on the refuge and I saw so many huge elk I couldn't believe it. So I am jazzed.

My biggest problem right now is I herniated a disc in my back while in Africa and will need big help getting the animal out. I have had a MRI and waiting to get an appointment from a Neurosurgeon. I have enlisted the help of a couple of friends, but they can't go into the hunt area, until the animal is down. One is 66 and the other is approaching 70, but both are more fit than me, and I am (was pretty strong). But, we will get-er-done!

I have been working on case prep all afternoon on 338 Win Mag. Decided to use my Winchester Classic in SS/Syn since it will be December. Plan to use 225gr Triple Shok bullets. Going to try RL19, IMR 4350 & Varget. Hopefully go to the range tomorrow with several loads to check it out.

I hope the back heals up. Don't wait for the Neurosurgeon appointment. Go see a chiropractor right away. Keep the appointment with the Neuro but chiropractic may give you the relief without surgery and post-op rehab. If you need a good chiropractor in the area let me know.

ddj

Good luck on your back. I've had two back surgeries and my back still hurts. I'd volunteer to come help you get one out but my back probably isn't much better than yours. I bet you won't have any trouble getting a buddy to help you. Good luck.

MJ, I hunted there in the Wichita's two years ago it's a great hunt. I didn't have any help but they had a couple of guys from the US Fish and Wildlife help me pack it out. I would be willing to help you pack out the Bull if the dates don't conflict with my schedule. Everyone will need a backboard type pack. If I can help let me know.
Rob

Rob; Thanks for the offer. I sent you a PM with the dates, which unfortunately is in the middle of the week. I do have a couple of folks who have volunteered to help. One who will be down there with me (Doris Campground) and the other will drive down from OKC once I call him.

I remember meeting you for coffee at Jimmy's Egg and you showed me your pictures of your elk.
Was F & W strict about staying on the road or did they try to get the truck closer?

Well the hunt is done and it was a brutal hunt, but one of the best hunts I have ever been on. I went to a chiropractor for months after returning from Africa and I had amazing results over time and included a regimine of vitamins and other supplements to build up my discs and tried some aggressive walking to regain my strength and loose some weight.

The weather the first day was Low 20's to low 30's with 35 - 55 MPH winds all day. The wind was howling and growling. Saw 15 bulls the first day and passed on a 270 yrd shot on two wide, 6 x 6's that were bedded with 7 other bulls on a south slope with the wind from the North. Just couldn't shoot less than what I knew the Refuge could produce on the first day. Rough, rocky terrain which made for slow navigation. Surprised that the bulls would bed so high on the mountain sides when they could get out of the weather by going low.

The morning of the second day another hunter told of a monster 7 x 7 on the North slope of the mountain I had hunted the previous day on the South and East sides. He was cow hunting so he wasn't interested in pursueing the bull, so I decided that would be my plan. This morning was much colder, but the wind backed off to 10 - 20 MPH. I hiked 3+ miles to come around the mountain from the West to give me the best wind advantage as I hunted the North face toward the East. I climbed high so I could view the whole mountain side. I am talking boulders the size of pickup trucks. Every step had loose rock under foot. It took me all morning to cover 3/4 of the North slope.

Stopped around noon to have some lunch and recharge my battery. As I sat there I kept thinking that I was in the perfect spot as I could see down in the bottoms from that vantage point and also anything coming across the slope. After about an hour and a half I decided to continue on East, but something nagged me to stay put. But my impatience got the better of me and I packed up and started out East. I didn't get 20 yards and I bumped a young bull in his bed not 12 yards from me. I stood still for 30 minutes and he settled back down and I backed out slowly. The wind was in my favor. I knew if there was one bull, there was probably many more close by as they bed together.

I went back to my lunch spot and continued to glass. Despite my gut feel that I needed to stay in that spot, after about an hour the impatience set in again and I thought if I went higher, I could get above the bedding area and possibly look down into it to see if the monster was in there. I once again packed up (full external frame pack, rifle, nocks, tripod shooting stick) and started climbing. I didn't get 30 yards and two cows ran through the open bottom below and I changed my mind and resolved to go back and stay in my original hide.

All of my water was frozen and I was so thirsty. I put my water bladder and one bottle on a rock in the sun, but only got sips from time to time. I got the occassional headache from dehydration. I put a hand warmer on my neck under my collar which really helped warm me up. It was so friggin cold.

After about an hour I was glassing through the trees and a branch moved. Although it wasn't a branch, it was the antler of an elk moving in his bed about 35 yards away. I watched for a long time and then slowly stalked closer to about 15 yards. It turned out to be a pretty 5 x 5 bull. He stood up 15 yards away and ate grass and milled about. Not the bull I wanted, so again I backed out to my lunch spot. I kept watching him for another hour when the woods came alive with elk calling each other (4PM). Strange sound as it sounded just like a cow call, but it turned out to be the bulls.

The woods to my side and below came alive with calls and movment in the timber. I could tell they were moving low and bunching up. Then the antler crashing started. The bulls were fighting and tearing the bottom up. There were multiple fights going on and the calling was intense. So I left my pack and grabbed my rifle and shooting sticks and slowly made my way East and down the mountain. After getting much closer to all the commotion and action I inched my way right into the bottom with them. I was 15 yards from a bull on my left which was eating grass, two bulls fighting at 11 oclock about 35 yards out, two bulls fighting about 50 yards at 12 oclock and two bulls fighting about 65 yards at 3 oclock and two more just milling around and eating grass.

I watched this whole process for about 30-40 minutes, glassing and looking for the 7x7 monster. I kept glassing and judging each animal to pickout the best of the group. I figured that with all this commotion that the big boy would show up anytime. This was the end of the second day of a two and a half day hunt so my options were dwindling rapidly.

I had picked out the best of the group who was to my left and currently he wasn't engaged with any other bulls. Then out of no where a new bull walked up behind me. He winded me and bolted and must have communicated to the bunch as he was running and every bull looked up and started running with him. He ran right down the center of the whole group and the bigger bull I had been watching ran too, but stopped in a clear lane for just a second. I was slinged up and decided that was my moment. I took aim and as I fired my 338 WM he took a half step forward.

The woods exploded, bulls running, and unknown to me a pig was nestled in the leaves 10 feet in front of me and he jumped up and was squeeling and running around in front of me and damn near ran over me. I racked another shell in the chamber. I lost sight of the bull that I shot, and the pig stood about 15 feet from me looking, so I told him "buddy I have the gun so don't screw with me". I moved off toward the elk and the pig decided to move on. Talk about intense!

My shot was about 60 yards and I picked up the blood trail easily and the bull was 40 yards beyond that point due North. I was sighted in for 200 yards, but the impact was perfect on elevation, but slightly far back because of the step he took, but the angle was perfect as the bullet passed through both lungs and exited just behind the off shoulder.

I needed to retrieve my field dressing kit in my pack, so I hiked back up the mountain and then decided to call my helper to let the hunt leader know I had an animal down, so I climbed to the very top of the mountain. I called, but they had no reception in the low lands. Left a message and climbed down to my pack. Loaded up and went back to the animal. It was pitch dark and cold. I field dressed the elk with a head lamp and then bushwhacked 2+ miles around the mountain in the dark, back to my pickup spot, totally exhausted.

The next day we had to field butcher the elk and three people hauled it out in two trips. It took all day. What a fantastic experience. I will never forget it.

Excellent! Congrats, great bull. Did anyone end up getting the 7x7?

Beautifull story, what an adventure! Thanks for posting.

Great story and a great elk! Thanks for sharing this wonderful adventure with us.

Congratulations - a great hunt, trophy, and story.

I grew up in Lawton and spent many weekends in the Wichitas with Boy Scouts, hunting artifacts with one of the founders of the Museum of the Great Plains, and fishing. I really miss the mountains. It's not nearly the same in Washington DC.

Congratulations!!! Good job.

Perry

Great story! Congratulations!

Great story and a good hunt.

M Joe, Congrats on a fine animal. That is one tough hunt in those boulders. Wish I could have helped but took a nice cow in Colorado that same week.Thanks for the pic.
Rob

That bull is a beauty and you worked for him. Congrats on a great year!
Matt